Heading-dependent routing method and network subsystem

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses, methods and systems are described that are configured to act on a heading-dependent suitability indicator of a channel through a mobile communication system that can have a defined heading, such as a passenger vehicle or other motor-propelled vehicle. The indicator may also use other determinants such as a latitude and longitude of the system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to, claims the earliest availableeffective filing date(s) from (e.g., claims earliest available prioritydates for other than provisional patent applications; claims benefitsunder 35 USC § 119(e) for provisional patent applications), andincorporates by reference in its entirety all subject matter of thefollowing listed application(s) (the “Related Applications”) to theextent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith; the presentapplication also claims the earliest available effective filing date(s)from, and also incorporates by reference in its entirety all subjectmatter of any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.applications of the Related Application(s) to the extent such subjectmatter is not inconsistent herewith. The United States Patent Office(USPTO) has published a notice to the effect that the USPTO's computerprograms require that patent applicants reference both a serial numberand indicate whether an application is a continuation or continuation inpart. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of Prior-Filed Application, USPTOElectronic Official Gazette, Mar. 18, 2003 athttp://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/2003/week11/patbene.htm. Thepresent applicant entity has provided below a specific reference to theapplication(s) from which priority is being claimed as recited bystatute. Applicant entity understands that the statute is unambiguous inits specific reference language and does not require either a serialnumber or any characterization such as “continuation” or“continuation-in-part.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, applicant entityunderstands that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entryrequirements, and hence applicant entity is designating the presentapplication as a continuation in part of its parent applications, butexpressly points out that such designations are not to be construed inany way as any type of commentary and/or admission as to whether or notthe present application contains any new matter in addition to thematter of its parent application(s).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

1. For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the presentapplication constitutes a continuation in part of currently co-pendingUnited States patent applications entitled HEADING-DEPENDENT ROUTING,naming Alexander J. Cohen; Edward K. Y. Jung; Robert W. Lord; John D.Rinaldo, Jr.; and Clarence T. Tegreene as inventors, USAN: To BeAssigned, filed contemporaneously herewith (Attorney Docket No.0405-003-002A-000000)

SUMMARY

One embodiment is a communication method. In one implementation, themethod includes determining a passenger vehicle at least partly based ona vehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a channel through the passenger vehicle. Theimplementation further includes transferring data toward a destinationnode separate from the passengervehicle via the passenger vehicle. Inaddition to the foregoing, other communication method aspects aredescribed in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of thepresent disclosure.

Another embodiment is a network subsystem. In one implementation, thenetwork subsystem includes circuitry for determining a passenger vehicleat least partly based on a vehicle-position-index-dependent andvehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator of a channel through thepassenger vehicle. The implementation further includes circuitry fortransferring data toward a destination node separate from thepassengervehicle via the passenger vehicle. In addition to theforegoing, other network subsystem aspects are described in the claims,drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

Another embodiment is another communication method. In oneimplementation, the method includes obtaining routing information thatincludes at least a vehicle-position-index-dependent andvehicle-heading-dependent data-handling-suitability indicator of achannel through a motor-propelled vehicle. The implementation furtherincludes at least transmitting a message that is responsive to therouting information toward a destination node via the channel. Inaddition to the foregoing, other communication methodaspects aredescribed in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of thepresent disclosure.

Another embodiment is another network subsystem. In one implementation,the network subsystem includes circuitry for determining a passengervehicle at least partly based on a vehicle-position-index-dependent andvehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator of a channel through thepassenger vehicle. The implementation further includes circuitry fortransferring data toward a destination node separate from thepassengervehicle via the passenger vehicle. In addition to theforegoing, other network subsystem aspects are described in the claims,drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

Another embodiment is a vehicle. In one implementation, the vehicleincludes a communication system operable to respond to avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a signal channel through the communicationsystem by relaying data. The implementation further includes a drivemechanism operable to start the vehicle moving and a power sourceoperable to provide power selectively to the communication system or tothe drive mechanism. In addition to the foregoing, other vehicle aspectsare described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of thepresent disclosure.

Another embodiment is a network subsystem. In one implementation, thesubsystem includes routing circuitry operable to route data beyond apassenger vehicle at least partly based on avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a signal channel that includes the passengervehicle. In addition to the foregoing, other network subsystem aspectsare described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of thepresent disclosure.

Another embodiment is also a network subsystem. In one implementation,the subsystem includes a passenger vehicle that relays data responsiveto a vehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a channel that includes the passenger vehicle.In addition to the foregoing, other network subsystem aspects aredescribed in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of thepresent disclosure.

Another embodiment is also a network subsystem. In one implementation,the subsystem includes a device-readable medium that guides data along achannel toward a mobile system determined at least partly based on avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of the channel. The implementation furtherincludes a module that controls the device-readable medium. In additionto the foregoing, other network subsystem aspects are described in theclaims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

Another embodiment is also a network subsystem. In one implementation,the subsystem includes a mobile system and means for transmitting datathrough the mobile system at least partly based on a heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a channel that includes the mobile system. Inaddition to the foregoing, other network subsystem aspects are describedin the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the presentdisclosure.

In one or more various aspects, related systems include but are notlimited to circuitry and/or programming for effecting theabove-described method aspects; the circuitry and/or programming can bevirtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmwareconfigured to effect the above-described method aspects depending uponthe design choices of the system designer.

In addition to the foregoing, various other embodiments are set forthand described in the text (e.g., claims and/or detailed description)and/or drawings of the present description.

The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,simplifications, generalizations and omissions; consequently, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative onlyand is NOT intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, features,and advantages of the devices and/or processes described herein, asdefined by the claims, will become apparent in the detailed descriptionset forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates operational flows having operations that produce adesirable form of data transfer.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of a network that can perform either of theoperational flows of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates various examples and alternative embodiments of theabove-described operational flows.

FIG. 4 illustrates further examples and alternative embodiments of theabove-described operational flows.

FIG. 5 illustrates further examples and alternative embodiments of theabove-described operational flows.

FIG. 6 illustrates further examples and alternative embodiments of theabove-described operational flows.

FIG. 7 illustrates a portion of a network that can be configured toperform any of the above-described operational flows.

FIG. 8 illustrates further examples and alternative embodiments of theabove-described operational flows.

FIG. 9 illustrates additional operational flows having operations thatproduce a desirable form of data transfer in a network like that of FIG.2 or FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 illustrates various examples and alternative embodiments ofeither of the operational flows of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates a portion of a network in which many of theabove-described operational flows can be performed.

FIG. 12 illustrates various examples and alternative embodiments ofeither of the operational flows of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 illustrates a network subsystem that can include adevice-readable medium and a module that controls it.

FIG. 14 illustrates a system having a stationary node and a relay nodethat can move between or within any of several zones.

FIG. 15 illustrates a digital suitability function for the system ofFIG. 14

FIG. 16 illustrates a network subsystem that can include routingcircuitry and a device-readable medium bearing one or more instructions.

FIG. 17 illustrates embodiments of a network subsystem that can includea passenger vehicle.

FIG. 18 illustrates embodiments of a passenger vehicle having acommunication system through which a communication channel is routed.

FIG. 19 illustrates a communication network including mobile devices forrouting to a stationary node.

FIG. 20 illustrates intervals of interest in relation to the system ofFIG. 19.

FIG. 21 illustrates a look-up table that can be used for determining asuitability value based on several operands.

FIG. 22 shows a map showing a latitude and longitude of several nodes,some of which correspond to a row in the table of FIG. 21, some or allof which are suitable for relaying information.

The use of the same symbols in different drawings typically indicatessimilar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Except as otherwise indicated, all ordinary words and terms used hereinshall take their customary meaning. All technical terms shall take ontheir customary meaning as established by the appropriate technicaldiscipline utilized by those of ordinary skill. For convenience, many ofthe terms are described next. For brevity, each example or enumerationor alternative thus presented is merely illustrative, not exhaustive.

As used herein, even words like “is” are often used to indicate “mayinclude,” although there are exceptions below in which context dictatesotherwise. A “node” is not limited to an integrated module, for example,but may include any device or station that implements at least some partof one or more communication protocols. A “mobile node” is not limitedto systems that are capable of positioning themselves, but alternativelyincludes any node that can normally function while in motion. A vehicleor other node is “determined” not only by deciding upon it butalternatively by accepting or indicating or causing such a decision. Anode can be determined even by a system that cannot explicitly identifythe node, such as by a system that broadcasts a message to all nodeswithin its range, for example.

A “heading” is not limited to a direction of a forward end of a shiprelative to true north, but can alternatively refer to a direction oftravel of any moving node, relative to any frame of reference of amoving or stationary object. Also a heading is not limited to a two- orthree-dimensional direction, but can alternatively include a moregeneral heading such as “westerly” or “away from” an object. A“passenger vehicle” is not limited to a vehicle with a passenger butrefers to any artificial mode of transporting a person. This includes anairplane, a boat, a train, a truck, or a wheelchair, for example. A“motor-propelled vehicle” is not limited to a vehicle currently intransit, but also includes motorized vehicles that are stationary and/orpowered off.

A “method” as used herein is a set of one or more operations, whetherperformed in a specifically prescribed order as shown or concurrently orin some other order. It will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat almost all methods described below can be performed by overlappingthe steps of the prescribed flow or by reversing some or all of them,relative to the flow presented. One of skill in the art will recognizethat such variations to the flows presented below are frequentlyconvenient and should be considered as a viable design choice forimplementing the present invention.

A “wireless” network or link is not limited to one that is devoid ofwires, but may include any network or link with at least one nodeadaptable to transmit to another node through a free space medium orwater, for example.

“Routing information” is not limited to an explicit identification ofnodes through which a message will travel but alternatively includes anyindication of where or how a signal has traveled or should travel.“Obtaining” information is not limited to receiving the information butcan alternatively include requesting, computing, adapting, copying,retrieving, and otherwise preparing to use, store or transmit theinformation.

A message that is “responsive to” routing information is not limited toone that travels immediately to the routing information's point oforigin. Rather, the message can be constructed some time later based onthe routing information. Alternatively or additionally, the message isthen stored in place or sent out via another channel than that whichcarried the routing information. Alternatively or additionally, themessage can be sent back along a route that carried the routinginformation. A system that is “operable to respond” to a suitabilityindicator is not limited to a system that is responsive to theindicator. For example, a system can be offline and yet “operable torespond,” such as by powering on and receiving the indicator beforeresponding.

A determination is “based on” an input not only when based solely on theinput, but alternatively when other determinants also affect it. A valueis “based on” a signal or other condition not only when the condition isunderstood but alternatively when a change in the value is the onlyindication of any shift in the condition. A determination can be basedon a heading-dependent indicator, for example, even by a system thatknows of no other heading-related factors.

Systems are “suitable” not only if they successfully serve theirfunctions, but alternatively if indicators suggest high likelihoods ofsuccess in serving those functions. Such a function might be a specificdata transfer request, for example, or data handling in general. Asystem is “more suitable” than another if its likelihood of success ishigher than that of the other. A “suitability indicator of a channel” isany value that is relevant to any such likelihoods of the channel'ssuccess, such as a suitability indicator of a mobile node in thechannel.

A system “relaying data” is not limited to one that outputs exactly thesame data that it receives in exactly the same format. For example, asystem that decrypts and demodulates received data can relay data thatit receives so that the relayed portion of the data is in a differentformat from the received data. A device can “transmit” data even withoutgenerating any data or amplifying a signal. A basic wire transmits datapassively, for example.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there are shown operational flows havingoperations that produce a desirable form of data transfer. After a startoperation, an operational flow 100 moves to a determining operation 130where a passenger vehicle is determined at least partly based on avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a channel through the passenger vehicle. Thesuitability indicator may be obtained as a numerical evaluation, aninstruction, or an action, for example. At a transferring operation 150,data is transferred toward a destination node separate from thepassenger vehicle via the passenger vehicle. Transferring operation 150can optionally be performed during and/or after determining operation130. Optionally the transferring operation 150 comprises including avideo clip within the data 155. This can be performed before, during, orafter the determining operation 130. After the transferring operation150, operational flow 100 moves to an end operation.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of a network 200 that can perform either ofthe operational flows of FIG. 1. Network 200 can be an ad hoc wirelessnetwork, for example. Node 230 is configurable to communicate with node290 through at least one of a plurality of channels 240,260. Channel 240includes at least one intermediate node 250. Intermediate node 270similarly forms a part of channel 260, which is arranged in parallelwith channel 240.

In accordance with an example embodiment in which intermediate node 250is a vehicle (such as a passenger vehicle and/or a motor-propelledvehicle), node 230 performs operational flow 100. One or moresuitability indicators of channel 240 are obtained using at least aheading and position index of the passenger vehicle. In a simpleembodiment in which channel 240 is just a free space region containingnode 250, for example, a suitability indicator for the vehicle cansuffice as an overall indicator of the suitability of channel 240 torelay a signal. In another embodiment channel 240 contains severaladditional nodes. If all of the additional nodes are stationary ornegligibly burdened, a suitability indicator pertaining to the vehicle(node 250) can likewise suffice as an overall suitability indicator ofchannel 240 to relay signals. Once node 230 determines one or moreintermediate nodes to be used 130, node 230 transfers data towarddestination node 290 through channel 240 (and via the passengervehicle).

Referring now to FIG. 3, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 100 of FIG. 1. Any ofthese forms and features can be performed, for example, by node 230 ofFIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the determining operation 130 optionallyincludes one or more additional operations of operation 332, operation334, or operation 336. Also the transferring operation 150 optionallyincludes one or more additional operations of operation 351, operation352, operation 353, operation 354, or operation 356. Any of theseadditional operations, and many combinations of them, may provideunexpected enhancements in computational efficiency or systemperformance.

At the operation 332, at least two coordinates that describe a positionof the passenger vehicle are received. For example, node 230 may receivea latitude and a longitude of one or more vehicles such as node 250.Also, or alternatively, node 230 may receive an altitude or an offsetdistance between the vehicle and another node (such as node 230, 270 or290). The coordinates may be in angular or distance units, for example.The optional operation 332 of actually receiving coordinates mayfacilitate an accurate vehicle-position-index-dependent suitabilityindicator, for example, by tracking locations at which the suitabilityindicator does not accurately predict success so as to allow forrefinements.

At the operation 334, a suitability indicator of one or more otherchannels is received. For example, node 230 may receive 0.6 as asuitability score of channel 260. This can then be compared to a 0.8received as a suitability score of channel 240. In a “best channelselection” embodiment in which each channel provides a score that isdirectly related to its overall suitability, node 230 responds bychoosing channel 240 for the transferring operation 150. Receiving asuitability indicator of one or more other channels can facilitateselecting a most suitable channel so as to reduce congestion, forexample, or other node saturation or dropouts.

At the operation 336, a motion of the passenger vehicle is predicted.The motion may include at least one of a predicted position index, apredicted speed, or a predicted heading. For example, node 230 maycontain a detailed model identifying a specific route to a specificdestination including several portions each having a respective speed.Such a model can be provided by an on-board navigation system directingthe driver to a known destination, for example. Alternatively node 230may generate and express the motion simply as a time at which thepassenger vehicle is predicted to reach a given landmark such as aservice zone boundary. Optionally the predicted motion can be used tohelp maintain a connection between two nodes by initiating a re-routingoperation before the old link becomes unstable. This is especiallyhelpful near high gradients of wireless connectivity, such as may existnear large buildings or tunnels.

At the operation 351, an acknowledgment is received from the passengervehicle. For example, node 230 may receive an acknowledgment from thepassenger vehicle (node 250) determined by operation 130. In a case suchas where heading or position index data is used more than a second afterbeing measured, a risk exists that the passenger vehicle may have goneoffline or otherwise become unsuitable. The acknowledgment received inoperation 351 can verify that such conditions are not present. Also, thereceived acknowledgment may include another suitability indicator of thechannel or data upon which node 230 can base another suitabilityindicator. The acknowledgment is optionally used as part of a handshakeoperation between node 230 and node 250 before node 230 sends a userdata block via node 250.

At the operation 352, routing information is generated that indicatesthe channel at least partly based on the suitability indicator. Therouting information can include at least one of a channel identifier,specific identifiers of one node or several nodes within the channel,one or more position indices, or heading information. Other examples arediscussed in detail below, especially in reference to FIG. 11.

At the operation 353, a portion of the data is streamed. For example,node 230 can transfer a portion of the data comprising audio or videodata toward the destination node via the passenger vehicle (node 250) bystreaming. The streamed portion can include live broadcast data,security or health monitoring data, or other time-critical data such asexperimental measurements. The non-streamed portion may include adigital header identifying such things as the destination node,advertising, or an authorization.

At the operation 354, a bidirectional communication link is establishedspanning from a source node to the destination node via the passengervehicle. For example, node 230 or channel 240 can establish such acommunication link through channel 240. Optionally such a link can beused for real time monitoring or interactions between users such as formeeting or game playing over a network. The data can include phonic ortextual data, software objects, pictures, or any other kind of data thatcan benefit from real-time exchange at high or low volumes.

At the operation 356, a signal is received from the channel thatincludes at least the suitability indicator. For example, node 270 canreceive such a signal. Optionally node 270 can then make a routingdecision based on a comparison between the suitability indicator andthat of one or more parallel channels such as channel 260.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 100, any of which can beperformed by node 230 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, thedetermining operation 130 optionally includes one or more additionaloperations of operation 431, operation 434, operation 435 or operation437. Also the transferring operation 150 optionally includes one or moreadditional operations of operation 454 or operation 456. Any of theseadditional operations may provide unexpected enhancements incomputational efficiency or system performance.

At the operation 431, a route is implemented that is partly based on asuitability indicator of a stationary node. At the operation 434,alternatively or additionally, the suitability indicator of the channelis obtained by arithmetically combining a suitability indicator of thepassenger vehicle with a suitability indicator of another node withinthe channel.

At the operation 437, the suitability indicator is expressed as a valuethat is inversely related to an actual suitability of the passengervehicle. For example, if D is a variable such that D=0.9 for anunsuitable system, and D=0.3 for a moderately suitable system, and D=0.1for a highly suitable system, then D can be a convenient burdenindicator. Such values, generally ones that are inversely related tosuitability, can be combined for evaluating a channel more exactly, incertain embodiments. At the operation 435, for example, the suitabilityindicator of the channel is obtained by summing at least a burdenindicator of the passenger vehicle and a burden indicator of anothernode. An example is described below in reference to FIG. 11.

At the operation 454, information within the transferred data is sentdownstream through another vehicle. At the operation 456, informationcontaining the transferred data is routed downstream through astationary node. These and other examples are shown in detail below,especially in reference to FIG. 11.

In accordance with another example embodiment in which intermediate node250 is a passenger vehicle, channel 240 performs operational flow 100.One or more suitability indicators of channel 240 are obtained.Optionally each of the suitability indicators is dependent on attributesof a respective single node of channel 240. The suitability indicatorthat describes node 250, a passenger vehicle, depends on a heading andposition index of node 250. Channel 240 uses the one or more suitabilityindicators to determine the one or more nodes of channel 240 as suitableor unsuitable to convey a given message.

In one operative example, channel 240 receives a request to send 2gigabytes of video data within one minute. In response, channel 240determines a node that constitutes a weakest or weaker link and whetherthat weak link is strong enough to meet the demand. If node 250 is apassenger vehicle predicted to go offline momentarily based on itsheading and position, channel 240 does not commit to relaying the videodata within the prescribed time limit. If node 250 is predicted to goonline momentarily and remain available for high throughput service,however, channel 240 can determine node 250 as a weak link that isstrong enough to begin the transmission.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 100. Any or all of theseforms and features can be performed by node 230 or channel 240 of FIG.2, for example. As shown in FIG. 5, the determining operation 130optionally includes one or more additional operations of operation 531,operation 532, operation 533, operation 534, operation 535, operation536, or operation 537. Also the transferring operation 150 optionallyincludes one or more additional operations of operation 552, operation554 or operation 556. Any of these additional operations may provideunexpected enhancements in computational efficiency or systemperformance when performed by a system like node 230 and/or channel 240of FIG. 2.

At the operation 531, the suitability indicator is obtained as afunction of a capacity of a resource within the passenger vehicle. Theresource may be a processor, a data bus, a user interface, an electricalsupply or any other identifiable subsystem or component with a capacitythat can change or may differ from node to node. At the operation 532,optionally concurrent with operation 531, the suitability indicator isobtained as a value that is partly based on a computed longitude. At theoperation 533, the suitability indicator is obtained as a function of acomputed distance metric. The distance metric may be expressedconventionally in meters or miles or other units, a distance index, orin some other coding scheme as a matter of efficiency and design choice.Specific examples are explained in detail below, especially in referenceto FIGS. 13 & 21.

At the operation 534, the suitability indicator is obtained as afunction of a format of the data. For example, a given node or channelhaving a bit-error rate (BER) higher than 1/107 can assign an indicationof higher suitability for streaming data than for other video data. Agreater suitability may similarly be assigned for data in a proprietaryformat, for packet data, for text data, for low resolution image data,for non-encoded data, for headerless data, for data having an identifiedowner, and/or for other identified indicators of format.

At the operation 535, the suitability indicator is obtained as afunction of a message content of the data. A greater suitability may beassigned for an urgent message, for example, or for content such asweather that is in a content category that has been selected at a userinterface within the vehicle, for private content, for “push” contentsuch as advertising, for cost-free content, and/or for other identifiedindicators of content.

At the operation 536, the suitability indicator is determined as afunction of an estimated size of a portion of the data. For example, theestimated size may be expressed in digital units such as bytes orblocks, in time units such as seconds, in coarse descriptive categoriessuch as “huge,” or in some other form of expression.

At the operation 537, the suitability indicator is obtained by executinga table look-up command. Optionally, a succession of table look-upcommands can be used, or a table look-up operation implemented as alogic operation or another form of data or other signal processing.Examples are given below, especially in reference to FIGS. 15 & 21.

At the operation 552, at least a portion of the data is displayed withinthe passenger vehicle. The portion may be an indicator of a size, acontent type, a format type, a link type, a source node identifier, anowner, a destination location, a service provider, or some other portionof the routing or message content.

At the operation 554, at least a portion of the data is broadcasted toone or more other destination nodes. An emergency broadcast may betransmitted to two or more nodes simultaneously, for example, or to allnodes of a defined class within a defined geographical area. The classcan be defined as a set of subscribers, a set of nodes having anon-board or other local global positioning system (GPS), nodes having anactive user interface, nodes that are moving toward a danger zone, orusing some other class definition.

At the operation 556, a later-received data identifier is compared withan identifier of the transferred data. Where no match is found betweenthe later-received data identifier and any prior data identifier, thedata is optionally broadcast to all available nodes in the network.Although this approach expends significant network bandwidth, it can beoptimal in a wireless network in which the location of the destinationnode is unknown. Optionally this approach can be used to determinecoordinates of the destination node.

In another example operational flow 100 relating to FIG. 2, in whichintermediate node 250 is a passenger vehicle, a destination node 290receives several signals. These include (a) a signal that channel 240 isavailable, (b) a signal that channel 260 is available, and (c) a signalthat node 230 has critical information to transmit. Node 290 instructsnode 230 to transmit the critical information in portions of dataflowing in parallel among the available channels 240,260. Node 230actually performs operational flow 100 in response to the instruction,in this embodiment, determining the one or more nodes 250 that willreceive a portion of the data by transferring the portion throughchannel 240. Alternatively, for redundancy, node 230 can send all of thedata in parallel across the two or more available channels 240,260.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 100 of FIGS. 1, 3, 4, & 5.All of these forms and features can be performed by channel 240 and/ornode 230 of FIG. 2, for example, as exemplified below. As shown in FIG.6, the determining operation 130 optionally includes one or moreadditional operations of operation 631, operation 632, operation 633,operation 634, operation 635, operation 636, or operation 637. Also thetransferring operation 150 optionally includes one or more additionaloperations of operation 652, operation 654 or operation 656. Any ofthese additional operations may provide unexpected enhancements incomputational efficiency or system performance when performed in anenvironment like that of FIG. 2.

At the operation 631, a zone boundary is determined. The boundary may bea contour that divides two areal zones on a two-dimensional map, asexemplified in FIG. 19 or FIG. 21. The boundary may also be a point thatdivides two segmented zones in a one-dimensional model, as exemplifiedin FIG. 14. Boundaries are a convenient way to express a spatial modelsuch as a service zone. The zone boundaries are optionally determinedthat describe a service zone slightly within the area actually serviced,for example, to provide a buffer. After completing the operation 631,node 250 of channel 240 can perform the operation 632 of comparing alocation of the passenger vehicle with the zone boundary. Alternatively,node 250 can provide coordinates of its location to node 230 which canthen complete the comparing operation 632.

At the operation 633, the suitability indicator is obtained byestimating a time interval. The time interval can describe part or allof the data to be transferred, an amount of time until a service will beavailable, or an amount of time that a service will remain available,for example. Optionally, the suitability indicator may itself be anestimate of time. For example a node that is expected to remainavailable for 3 minutes can be described as having a 3-minutesuitability. Such a suitability is adequate for a 10-second message butnot for a 30-minute download.

At the operation 634, a yes-or-no suitability decision is generated asthe vehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator. Such a decision may be performed by node 230before performing the transferring operation 150, for example, either asa function of received data or as a response to an instruction. In anembodiment in which channel 260 only contains stationary nodes and inwhich channel 240 has not yet performed determining operation 130, forexample, node 230 can decide to use channel 260 instead for a giventransmission. At the operation 637, the suitability indicator iscalculated as a function of an estimated destination of the passengervehicle.

At the operation 635, at least the passenger vehicle is polled via anupstream node. At the operation 636, alternatively or subsequently, aresponse is received from at least the passenger vehicle. Examples arediscussed below in reference to FIGS. 11 & 22.

At the operation 652, an audio message is included within the data to betransferred toward a destination node. The audio message may optionallybe generated by a user and received through a user interface of thesource node 230, for example.

Additional operation 654 includes extracting within the passengervehicle a portion of a wireless signal that is remote from substantiallyany available stationary node. This embodiment can be advantageous forproviding a communication service via one or more passenger vehicles tolocations that are remote from stationary nodes. At the operation 656,simultaneously or subsequently, the portion is relayed along thechannel.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a portion of a network 700 inwhich operational flow 100 in any of its above-described forms can beperformed. Network 700 can be a wireless network, for example. System730 is configurable to communicate with node 780 through one or more ofa plurality of channels 760. Channel 760 traverses one or moreintermediate nodes (vehicle 765, e.g.), connecting system 730 to system780 through wireless links 736,776 as shown. Optionally, channel 750 canbe arranged in parallel with channel 760, similarly connecting system730 to system 780 through passive wireless links 735,775 as shown.

Controller 740 comprises circuitry, firmware or software that can beimplemented in system 730, in vehicle 765, in system 780, or distributedso that components of controller 740 reside in more than one of thesesites. Also some or all components of controller 740 can constitute aseparate module.

In accordance with an example embodiment, controller 740 performsoperational flow 100. One or more suitability indicators of channel 760are obtained using at least a heading and position index of thepassenger vehicle 765. In a simple embodiment where channel 760 is justair but for vehicle 265, for example, a suitability indicator for thevehicle 765 can suffice as an overall indicator of the suitability ofchannel 760 to relay data. In another embodiment channel 760 contains asequence of several additional nodes. If all of the additional nodes arestationary or not significantly burdened, a suitability of vehicle 765can likewise suffice as an overall suitability indicator of channel 760.Controller 740 determines one or more intermediate nodes to be used 130and transfers data toward destination node 290 by issuing an instructionto node 730 to send the data through wireless link 736.

In accordance with another example embodiment, controller 740 does notperform operation 130 but merely relays a predicted motion of vehicle765 that is received from vehicle 765. In this case, system 730 need notreceive a vehicle heading that vehicle 765 used to predict the motion.System 730 instead just generates a suitability indicator of channel 760from the predicted motion and uses channel 760 for transmitting thedata, thereby performing the determining operation 130 and thetransferring operation 150.

In accordance with another example embodiment, controller 740 of FIG. 7performs operation 130 by performing at least one of operation 332 oroperation 336 of FIG. 3. To perform operation 332, for example,controller 740 receives from vehicle 765 at least two coordinates thatdescribe a position of vehicle 765. Controller 740 can provide a resultof the determining operation 130 to system 730, for example, or performoperation 150 as described in the previous paragraph. In either case,system 730 responds by initiating a transfer of the data toward system780.

Alternatively or additionally, controller 740 of FIG. 7 can perform atleast one of operation 351, operation 352, or operation 354 of FIG. 3.At the operation 351, controller 740 can receive an acknowledgment fromvehicle 765 in response to vehicle 765 receiving a signal from system730. At the operation 352, controller 740 generates routing information,optionally indicating each node of channel 760. System 730 can receivethe routing information and forward it through the channel 760 with thetransferred data. At the operation 354, controller 740 can establish acommunication link spanning from system 730 to system 780.

According to an alternative embodiment, controller 740 of FIG. 7performs operation 130 by performing at least one of operation 431,operation 434, or operation 437 of FIG. 4. Controller 740 can furtherperform operation 150 by performing operation 454 or operation 456 ofFIG. 4.

According to another alternative embodiment, controller 740 of FIG. 7performs operation 130 by performing at least one of operation 531,operation 532, operation 533, operation 534, operation 535, operation536, or operation 537 of FIG. 5. In performing operation 130, forexample, controller 740 can execute a look-up instruction thatsimultaneously performs operations 532 and 534 by obtaining thesuitability indicator as a function of the format of the data thatprovides a value that is partly based on a computed longitude. A tablefor such a look-up instruction is provided in relevant part, forexample, in FIG. 21.

According to an alternative embodiment, controller 740 of FIG. 7performs operation 130 by performing at least one of operation 631,operation 633, or operation 634 of FIG. 6. Alternatively oradditionally, controller 740 can perform operation 150 by performingoperation 652 or operation 654 of FIG. 6. Further examples are explainedbelow, especially in reference to FIG. 11.

Any of the foregoing combinations described with reference to FIG. 7 mayprovide unexpected enhancements in computational efficiency or systemperformance when used to perform operational flow 100 as described anddepicted in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 or 6.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 100 of FIG. 1. These formsand features can be performed by node 230 of FIG. 2 or by controller 740of FIG. 7, for example. As shown in FIG. 8, the determining operation130 optionally includes one or more additional operations of operation831, operation 832, operation 833, operation 834, operation 835, oroperation 836. Also the transferring operation 150 optionally includesone or more additional operations of operation 852 or operation 856. Anyof these additional operations may provide unexpected enhancements incomputational efficiency or system performance when performed incontexts like those of FIGS. 2 & 7.

At the operation 831, the suitability indicator is calculated as afunction of the velocity of the vehicle also. At the operation 832, thesuitability indicator is computed partly based on a heading of thepassenger vehicle relative to an upstream node. In light of teachingsherein, one or ordinary skill can select and readily obtain an effectivesuitability indicator as a function of a predicted vehicle destinationand/or of any selection of additional variables described herein. Anexample is explained below, especially in reference to FIG. 14, whichoptionally includes a stationary node upstream from a relay node. A moredetailed example is presented below in reference to FIG. 21.

At the operation 833, operation 130 indicates to the passenger vehiclethat the channel is suitable only by initiating a transmission of thedata. For example, system 730 of FIG. 7 completes operation 130 withoutthe passenger vehicle receiving an indication that channel 760 issuitable for transmitting data. Vehicle 765 nevertheless receives anindication that channel 760 is suitable from system 730, the indicationtaking a form of a portion of the data arriving at vehicle 765.

At the operation 834, an indication is obtained of a location of aportable device that is outside the passenger vehicle. System 780 can bea portable device, for example, configured to send its GPS coordinatesto controller 740. After performing operation 834, for example,controller 740 can optionally use this information for routing the datafrom system 730 through a suitable channel selected by any of severaloperational combinations taught herein.

At the operation 835, operation 130 identifies a boundary of a zonewithin which the suitability indicator is speed-independent. At theoperation 836, an estimated offset distance is indicated between thepassenger vehicle and a device that is outside the passenger vehicle. Anexample combining operation 835 and operation 836 is explained below inreference to FIGS. 14 & 15.

At the operation 852, the data is transferred from a next-node-upstreamto the passenger vehicle using a signal power level that depends upon anestimated offset between the next-node-upstream and the passengervehicle. The next node upstream can be a node that transmits data alonga channel to the passenger vehicle through a passive medium such as airor wire. For bidirectional communications each intermediate node willhave a next node upstream for each direction. An example is explainedbelow in reference to FIG. 11.

At the operation 856, the data is transferred from the passenger vehicleto a node by a protocol that depends upon a value representative of aheading of the passenger vehicle relative to the node. For example,controller 740 can perform this operation as described below withreference to FIGS. 14 & 15.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there are shown alternative embodiments of anoperational flow 900 that includes an obtaining operation 930 and atransmitting operation 950. In the obtaining operation 930, routinginformation is obtained that includes at least avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentdata-handling-suitability indicator of a channel through amotor-propelled vehicle. Either embodiment of operational flow 900 canbe performed by system 730, by controller 740, by channel 760, or byvehicle 765 of FIG. 7, for example, depending on implementation.Optionally, operation 930 includes operation 935 in which at least twocoordinates are received that describe a location of the motor-propelledvehicle.

In a first implementation, vehicle 765 performs flow 900 without needingto perform the receiving operation 935. Vehicle 765 uses its positionindex (or positional coordinates) to determine the indicator to includein the routing information, which vehicle 765 then provides to system730 or to whichever module(s) will perform the transmitting operation950.

In a second implementation, vehicle 765 generates the indicator asdescribed above and provides it to controller 740, which includes theindicator with other routing information (such as an identifier of eachnode in channel 760). Controller 740 then relays the routing informationto system 730. System 730 performs the transmitting operation 950,optionally as a response to a transmit instruction from controller 740.

In a third implementation, vehicle 765 does not generate the indicator.Rather, vehicle 765 merely provides a self-descriptive position indexand heading to channel 760, which generates the indicator. Channel 760then either generates the routing information obtained by system 730 orprovides the indicator to system 730 which uses the indicator togenerate the routing information. (In this implementation system 730performs operation 930 and controller 740 is not used.)

In a fourth implementation, vehicle 765 merely provides aself-descriptive position index and heading to controller 740, whichgenerates the indicator. Channel 740 then either generates the routinginformation obtained by system 730 or provides the indicator to system730 which uses the indicator to generate the routing information.

In a fifth implementation, vehicle 765 provides a self-descriptiveposition index and heading to controller 740 via wireless link 736 orcontroller 740. System 730 uses these as operands to generate routinginformation that includes at least a vehicle-position-index-dependentand vehicle-heading-dependent data-handling-suitability indicator. Inthis implementation system 730 optionally performs operation 935.

In the operation 950 of FIG. 9, a message is transmitted that isresponsive to the routing information toward a destination node via thechannel. This can be performed by system 730, by controller 740 (bytransmitting an instruction, e.g.), by channel 760, or by system 780 ofFIG. 7, for example.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 900 of FIG. 9. As shown inFIG. 10, the obtaining operation 930 optionally includes at least one ofoperation 1032 or operation 1034. In the obtaining operation 930,routing information is obtained that includes at least a suitabilityindicator of a channel through a motor-propelled vehicle. In theoperation 1032, a node is identified that is configurable to respond tothe routing information by transmitting a message via themotor-propelled vehicle. In the operation 1036, the vehicle ispropelled. Operation 1036 is optionally performed responsive to a pilot,driver, operator, user or other person aboard the vehicle. Controller740 of FIG. 7 can perform operation 1032, for example, by identifyingsystem 730 as configurable to respond, such as by accepting anindication that system 730 has a message to be sent to a destinationnode and applying previously received connection layout information.System 730 can perform operation 1032 by identifying itself,alternatively or additionally, as a node capable of transmission.Optionally the system that performs operation 1032 has routinginformation identifying the motor-propelled vehicle or a suitabilityindicator of the channel through the vehicle.

In the operation 1034, a yes-or-no suitability indicator (a decision,e.g.) is generated that is partly based on the suitability indicator.For example, controller 740 can generate such a decision as a result ofa comparison between a suitability indicator describing channel 760 anda suitability threshold. By applying one or more logical criteria suchas this to a routing decision, controller 740 can implement intelligentrouting. Alternatively or additionally, such a decision can likewise begenerated by system 730, channel 760, or system 780.

Referring again to FIG. 10, in the transmitting operation 950, a messageis transmitted that is responsive to the routing information toward adestination node via the channel. The transmitting operation 950optionally includes at least one of operation 1051, operation 1052,operation 1053, operation 1054, operation 1055, operation 1056, oroperation 1057. Any of these optional operations can be performed bysystem 730 or by controller 740, for example.

In the operation 1051, a system such as controller 730 of FIG. 7establishes a reserved path of several nodes. For example, controller730 can access attributes of the nodes such as an identifier of each orwhether each node is stationary or mobile.

In the operation 1052, at least a portion of the message is broadcastedto one or more other destination nodes. For example, controller 740 mayperform such a broadcast to other destination nodes of a given classthat are found. For example, any receiving node in or approaching atornado warning zone can be a suitable destination to which a warningmessage is broadcast.

In the operation 1053, at least an indication of the message isdisplayed within the motor-propelled vehicle. Such an indication may beused to alert a driver or other passenger of the vehicle so as toexplain a reduction of available bandwidth, for example. Alternativelythe message itself may be displayed within the motor-propelled vehicle,for example, if the message includes advertising or is otherwise apublic message.

In the operation 1054, a later-received message identifier is comparedwith an identifier of the sent message. This can be used to limit thepropagation of redundant copies of the sent message, for example.

In the operation 1055, an acknowledgment is received from themotor-propelled vehicle. System 730 can perform the receiving operation1055, for example, in response to which system 730 can transmit anothermessage. Each of these messages can be a packet of a larger body ofdata, for example.

In the operation 1056, information within the sent message is sentdownstream through another vehicle. On an isolated stretch of roadway,for example, a communication channel may be constructed of two or moresuccessive nodes that are each a motor-propelled vehicle or other mobilenode. The sending operation 1056 may be performed by controller 740, bychannel 760, or by vehicle 765, for example.

In the operation 1057, a video clip is included within the message.System 730 may perform this operation before performing one of the otheroptional operations of the transmitting operation 950, for example. Theincluding operation 950 may even be completed before beginning theobtaining operation 930.

Any of the foregoing implementations and variations described withreference to FIGS. 9 & 10 may provide unexpected enhancements incomputational efficiency or system performance when performed inenvironments like that of FIG. 7.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown a portion of a specificallyconfigured network 1100 in which any of the above-described operationalflows can be performed except as noted below. Source system 1130 isconfigurable to communicate with destination node 1170 through one ormore of a plurality of channels 1150, 1160. Channel 1160 traverses oneor more intermediate nodes connecting system 1130 to system 1170 throughwireless links 1136, 1176 as shown. Channel 1150 is arranged in parallelwith channel 1160, similarly connecting system 1130 to system 1170through passive wireless links 1135, 1175 as shown.

Router 1140 is a stationary module comprising circuitry, firmware orsoftware having information that is descriptive of one or more channels1150, 1160 through which router 1140 can send messages or other data.Channel 1160 has a sequence of several nodes in which node 1162 is anext-node-upstream to node 1165, a passenger vehicle. Node 1168 is anext-node-downstream to the passenger vehicle in relation to data thattravels downstream through link 1163 and link 1166 as shown. Feedbacklink 1164 and link 1167 optionally provides feedback data upstream.Feedback data optionally includes an acknowledgment signal or otherinformation to be included in or otherwise used for generating routinginformation as described herein.

Router 1140 sends routing information 1141 at least partly based onchannel output 1146 and optionally on feedback 1147 from destinationsystem 1170. At times, other groupings of nodes 1152, 1155, 1158 will bepositioned and available to provide one or more additional channels1150, providing channel output 1145 to router 1140.

In an embodiment where node 1165 is a passenger vehicle, router 1140 canperform any of the various operational flows described above exceptthose that include operation 354 of FIG. 3. (Link 1176 isunidirectional.)

In accordance with an example embodiment, router 1140 performsoperational flow 100 including at least the generating operation 352 ofFIG. 3. Router 1140 generates routing information indicating channel1160 at least partly based on a position-index-dependent andheading-dependent suitability indicator of node 1165, a passengervehicle. Router 1140 receives channel output 1146 that includes theindicator or operands from which the indicator can be generated. Router1140 then completes the transferring operation 150 by providing routinginformation 1141 causing source system to send the data along channel1160 toward destination node 1170.

In accordance with another example embodiment, intermediate node 1162performs operational flow 100. In operation 130, node 1162 determinesnode 1165 at least partly based on a suitability indicator that dependson a position index and a heading of node 1165, the vehicle recited inoperation 130. The suitability indicator can be a prescribed route thatincludes a link 1163 from node 1162 to node 1165, for example.

In accordance with another example embodiment, destination system 1170performs operational flow 100 including at least obtaining operation 435of FIG. 4. Destination system 1170 sums at least a burden indicator ofnode 1165 (a passenger vehicle) and a burden indicator of at least oneother node (such as next-node-upstream 1162 and/or next-node-downstream1168), for example. Destination system 1170 can determine the nodeswithin channel 1160 by selecting channel 1160, for example, responsiveto one or more criteria that include determining that the sum of theburden indicators is below a prescribed limit. Destination system 1170can then download the data by relaying the channel selection (asfeedback 1147) to router 1140.

In accordance with another example embodiment, channel 1160 performs thedetermining operation 130 by performing at least the polling operation635. Node 1162 of channel 1160 polls all available communication devicesdirectly accessible through a respective wireless link through air, forexample, one of which devices is node 1165.

In accordance with another example embodiment, node 1165 performs thetransferring operation 150 by performing at least the routing operation456, as shown in FIG. 4. Node 1165 routes the transferred datadownstream through a stationary node. Optionally, the stationary node isa next-node-downstream 1168, the node just after 1165 in the forwarddata flow direction.

In accordance with another example embodiment, node 1162 performsoperation 852 of FIG. 8. The data is transferred from anext-node-upstream 1162 to the passenger vehicle (node 1165) using asignal power level that depends upon an estimated offset between thenext-node-upstream and the passenger vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 12, there are shown various optional features ofthe above-described forms of operational flow 900 of FIG. 9, such as canbe performed by any of the above-described nodes that can performoperation 930 and/or operation 950. As shown in FIG. 12, the obtainingoperation 930 optionally includes at least one of operation 1232,operation 1233, or operation 1234. In the receiving operation 1232, apredicted destination of the motor-propelled vehicle is received.Optionally the predicted destination is used to generate a predictedpath that is at least partly based on a traffic monitoring input from asensor such as a camera.

In the obtaining operation 1233, a vehicular traffic model is obtained.For example, the model can be based on measured traffic levels or speedsand/or on a time of day or on a day of the week. Optionally the trafficmodel is from a traffic prediction service. The model may be static orit may be updated with one or more sensor signals in real time.

In the estimating operation 1234, a time of reaching a zone boundary isestimated. For example, the time may describe when the vehicle ispredicted to enter and/or depart a given service zone. Preferably, oneor more of the above operations is performed by a portion of network1100 as described above, optionally in relation to a motorized vehicleas described below with reference to FIG. 17.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is shown a network subsystem 1300 as anexample embodiment that can include a device-readable medium 1330 and amodule 1350. Device-readable medium 1330 guides data along a channeltoward a mobile system determined at least partly based on avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of (part or all of) the channel. Module 1350controls the device-readable medium 1330.

Optionally, medium 1330 can include a conduit 1332 carrying a signalcontaining a portion of the data. For example, conduit 1332 can includea signal wire, a circuit board trace, an optical cable, or a bus.

Alternatively or additionally, module 1350 can include a transceiver1354 configured to relay at least a portion of the data beyond themobile system. For example, transceiver 1354 can be a circuit coupled totransmit by a directional or non-directional antenna to anext-downstream-node. Such an example is explained below with referenceto FIG. 18.

Alternatively or additionally, module 1350 can include a transceiver1356 configured to provide the data to the device-readable medium via awireless link. Optionally, the same transceiver 1356 can also beconfigured to relay at least a portion of the data beyond the mobilesystem.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is shown an arrangement of a system 1400of a stationary node 1401 and a relay node 1402 operable to transmitdata to and/or from stationary node 1401. Zone boundary 1465 divides amarginal zone 1442 from a proximal zone 1441. Zone 1441 is proximal tostationary node 1401, as shown, and relay node 1402 has highconnectivity to stationary node 1401 while relay node 1402 is withinzone 1441.

Zone boundary 1466 separates marginal zone 1442 from distal zone 1443.Zone 1443 is distal to node 1401, and relay node 1402 generally has lowor unreliable connectivity to stationary node 1401 while within relaynode 1402 is within zone 1443. Connectivity is generally reliable butweaker in marginal zone 1442. Zone boundary 1465 and zone boundary 1466are defined relative to an X-index 1407, which may be expressed in unitsof offset distance from stationary node 1401. Relay node 1402 is mobilerelative to path 1405 and may remain within or move out of any of thezones 1441, 1442, 1443.

FIG. 15 defines a basic position-index-dependent and heading-dependentdigital suitability function for the system 1400 of FIG. 14, expressedas a table 1500. The proximal zone 1441 corresponds to an X-index of 1,within which the suitability function result has a binary value of 11for a relay node with a heading of zero (i.e. moving toward stationarynode 1401). In fact, system 1400 (with table 1500) indicates that thesuitability function result will always be 11 when relay node 1402 movestoward stationary node 1401, except when relay node 1402 is in distalzone 1443.

For relay node 1402 in proximal zone 1441 but moving away fromstationary node 1401, system 1400 indicates that the suitabilityfunction result will be 10. For relay node 1402 in marginal zone 1441and moving away from stationary node 1401, system 1400 indicate that thesuitability function result will be 01. Optionally a router orcontroller initiates a re-routing operation in response to a suitabilityfunction result that decreases. Within distal zone 1443, the result iszero irrespective of heading.

It will be appreciated that system 1400 can be adapted to an applicationwhere node 1401 is a mobile node defining a frame of reference withzones that move with node 1401. Alternatively or additionally, system1400 can be adapted so that the suitability indicator is speedindependent in some of the zones. For example, if Node A is catching upto Node B as both travel eastward, the heading of Node B can be “movingtoward” relative to Node A, leading to a prediction that they willbecome closer and more strongly coupled.

As a further example, stationary node 1401 can perform the operationalflow 100 so as to incorporate operation 835 and operation 836 of FIG. 8.In the identifying operation 835, node 1401 identifies a boundary 1466of a zone 1443 within which the suitability indicator isspeed-independent. In the indicating operation, node 1401 indicates anestimated offset distance (X-index 1407) between the passenger vehicle(relay node 1402) and a device (node 1401) that is outside the passengervehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 16, there is shown a network subsystem 1600 as anexample embodiment. Network subsystem 1600 comprises routing circuitry1630 operable to route data beyond a passenger vehicle at least partlybased on a vehicle-position-index-dependent andvehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator of a signal channel thatincludes the passenger vehicle. Routing Circuitry 1630 optionallyincludes at least one of an application-specific integrated circuit 1632or logic 1634 distributed across two or more physical system.

Routing circuitry 1630 as shown in FIG. 16 can optionally serve as partor all of controller 740 in a network subsystem such as those of FIG. 7.Alternatively, routing circuitry 1630 as shown in FIG. 16 can serve asrouter 1140 in a networks subsystem such as those of FIG. 11.

As shown in dashed block 1660, optionally, network subsystem 1600 mayfurther include a device-readable medium bearing at least one of aninstruction for predicting a motion of the passenger vehicle and aninstruction for generating the vehicle-position-index-dependent andvehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator 1660. Device-readablemedium may further include at least one of a computer-readable medium1662, a recordable medium 1664 for retrieving information, or a signalconduit 1666 for transmitting information.

In one alternative embodiment, a subsystem 710 of network 700 of FIG. 7implements the above-described subsystem 1600 of FIG. 16. Controller 740can include the routing circuitry 1630 and the device-readable medium1650. Routing circuitry 1630 is operable to route data beyond apassenger vehicle (by routing the data to system 780, beyond vehicle765, for example) at least partly based on avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a signal channel (channel 760, for example).Channel 760 includes the vehicle 765. Information is optionally gatheredabout one or more data channels (channels 750,760, for example)available for routing that include vehicle 765. Subsystem 1600 canperform the operational flow 100 of FIG. 1, for example, by usingcontroller 740 to perform the determining operation 130 and to performthe transferring operation 150.

Referring now to FIG. 17, there is shown a network subsystem 1700 as anexample embodiment. Network subsystem 1700 comprises a passenger vehicle1740 that relays data responsive to a vehicle-position-index-dependentand vehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator of a channel thatincludes the passenger vehicle. Passenger vehicle 1740 includes at leastone of routing circuitry 1742, a signal-bearing medium 1744, orspecial-purpose circuitry 1746. Routing circuitry 1742 is configured forproviding to the passenger vehicle routing information that is at leastpartly based on the suitability indicator.

Signal-bearing medium 1744 bears at least one instruction for obtainingthe suitability indicator as a function of a content of the data. Forexample, a suitability function can depend on whether the data containsintelligible data, or a portion of a computer virus, or an error.

Circuitry 1746 is adapted to obtain the suitability indicator as afunction of an estimated time interval. For example, the time intervalmay approximate how long passenger vehicle 1740 took to pass between twopositions.

Referring now to FIG. 18, there is shown a vehicle 1800 as an exampleembodiment. Any of the above-describe embodiments of passenger vehicle1740 can optionally be implemented in vehicle 1800 as described below.Vehicle 1800 comprises at least one of a communication system 1830, aglobal positioning system 1840, a compass 1850, a drive mechanism 1860operable to start vehicle 1800 moving, a passenger compartment 1880, ora power source 1890. Optionally, vehicle 1830 contains fewer than all ofthese.

Drive mechanism 1860 is operable to start vehicle 1800 moving (i.e. froma stationary position). This can be accomplished, for example, by usinga drive shaft 1865. Optionally, drive shaft 1865 can be operably coupledto one or more propellers or one or more axles of vehicle 1800.

Power source 1890 is operable to provide power selectively to the driveshaft 1865 or to the communication system 1830. Power source 1890optionally includes a combustion engine 1894, a fuel cell, and/or anelectrical supply 1892. In the specific example shown, the electricalsupply 1892 can receive power from the combustion engine 1894 via analternator of the electrical supply 1892.

A wireless communication channel 1870 can travel through vehicle 1800via communication system 1830, a subsystem of vehicle 1800.Communication system 1830 can include a conduit 1833 operativelycoupling an antenna 1832 to a controller 1834. Controller 1834 caninclude an interface 1836 and a memory 1838. Antenna 1832 is operablycoupled to a transceiver. Conduit 1833 optionally implements signalconduit 1566 in an embodiment of network subsystem 1500 of FIG. 15.Alternatively, signal conduit 1833 can implement signal bearing medium1744 of FIG. 17.

Global positioning system 1840 can operate to generate information thatincludes at least latitude and longitude. Compass 1850 can operate toprovide directional information from which a heading can be obtained,for example, by combination with a speedometer reading. Passengercompartment 1880 can contain a user 1885 who can provide operatingparameters or instructions or can receive information about heading,position, or information relating to channel 1870.

In one alternative embodiment, relay node 1402 of FIG. 14 is implementedas vehicle 1800 of FIG. 18. Relay node 1402 can include communicationsystem 1830 operable to respond to a vehicle-position-index-dependentand vehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator of a signal channelthrough the communication system 1830 by relaying data. Node 1402 canfurther include a drive mechanism 1860 operable to start the vehiclemoving and a power source 1890 operable to provide power selectively tothe communication system 1830 or to the drive mechanism 1860. Drivemechanism 1860 can include a drive shaft 1865. Power source 1890 caninclude an electrical supply 1892. Power source 1890 is optionallyoperable to provide power to the drive shaft 1865 and to an antenna 1832simultaneously. Power source 1890 optionally receives a control inputvia interface 1836 from a passenger (user 1885, for example), thecontrol input selectively directing power to drive shaft 1865 and/or toantenna 1832 from power source 1890. Node 1402 optionally includes acompass 1850 and a positioning system 1840 that is operable to generateinformation that includes at least latitude and longitude. Node 1402optionally performs operational flow 900 of FIG. 9 in which theobtaining operation 930 includes receiving the routing information fromstationary node 1401.

Referring now to FIG. 19, there is shown a system 1900 including aportable device 1980 having information to be routed to a stationarynode 1990 in communication a network 1991 such as the Internet. (FIG. 19shows map positions and features accurately, but the objects shown arenot to scale.) Rather than transmit all of the information wirelessly tostationary node 1990 directly over a large distance (such as offset1981), portable device might transmit over a shorter distance (such asoffset 1983 or offset 1982). If a viable transmission distance that isat least 10% shorter can be identified, for example, even this can be asignificant advantage.

At a given moment in time, according to an example operational flow,vehicle 1901 and vehicle 2001 are identified as candidates. Vehicle 1901is traveling in an easterly direction along path 1902, a linearprojection of vehicle 1901's current heading. Vehicle 1901 is currentlyin zone 1951, but is expected to cross boundary 1942 into zone 1941shortly and remain there for an interval that can be estimated byreference to path 1902 and a current speed of vehicle 1901.

A better estimate of the interval can be obtained by using a model thatestimates a route of vehicle 1901, such as by using a programmed routebeing provided to vehicle 1901 such as by on-board navigation, or atleast by reference to roads that actually exist. (As of this writing,programmed routes that account for speed, such as a service available onmapquest.com, are more than sufficiently accurate for present purposes.)For example, if vehicle 1901 is modeled as following a curvilinear path1903 at a constant speed, it will be predicted that vehicle 1901 willremain in zone 1941 for a longer interval than that of linear path 1902.

Portable device 1980 and vehicle 2001 are currently in zone 1961, asshown, a region within which adequate service is not available for theneeds of portable device 1980. Along path 2002 at a predicted speed,however, vehicle 2001 is predicted to cross boundary 1952 and thenboundary 1942 after specific intervals, each crossing causing a servicelevel increase to vehicle 2001 and portable device 1980.

In some embodiments, a map can be used to obtain a one-dimensionalheading and speed that is useful. In one operative example, vehicle 2001is generally traveling in an easterly direction toward an estimateddestination of point 2005. Vehicle 2001 performs flow 100 includingoperation 637. A direction along a line between vehicle 2001 and itsestimated destination (along path 2002, in this example) is used as anestimated heading of vehicle 2001. An instantaneous heading andestimated speed of vehicle 2001 are compared to point 2005 to computehow fast a distance between vehicle 2001 and its destination ischanging. This rate of change is used as a speed of vehicle 2001. Byexpressing a heading and speed of vehicle 2001 in this way, a usefulestimate like “4 meters per second east-by-northeast” can be distilledand used, for example, even for where a predicted 2-dimensional route isnot known with adequate confidence.

Alternatively characterized, system 1900 can be a network subsystem thatincludes a sender (portable device 1980, vehicle 2001, or network 1991,for example) and a mobile system (vehicle 1901, for example). Optionallyboth are implemented as vehicle 1800 of FIG. 18. The sender transmitsdata through the mobile system at least partly based on aheading-dependent suitability indicator of a channel that includes themobile system. Vehicle 1901 optionally includes one or more antennas1832 for detecting its position, for example, and/or for receiving aproperty of at least some of the data from the sender. Alternatively oradditionally, vehicle 1901 can include interface 1836 for communicatingwith a user aboard vehicle 1901. For example, interface 1836 can beconfigured to query the user to obtain a property of at least some ofthe data.

FIG. 20 shows intervals of interest in relation to the system 1900 ofFIG. 19. Time scale 2007 is expressed in seconds relative to presentmoment 2005. Vehicle 2001 travels along curvilinear path 2002. Aftertime interval 2084, at time 2085, vehicle 2001 is predicted to crossboundary 1952 into zone 1951. After time interval 2034, at time 2035,vehicle 2001 is predicted to cross boundary 1942 into zone 1941. If thetransmission or connection time that is needed by portable device 1980is expected to be short, such as estimated interval 2064, then atransmission or connection scheduling can proceed even before vehicle2001 enters zone 1951.

Turning now to FIG. 21, there is shown a look-up table 2100 that can beused for determining a suitability value 2160 at least partly based oneach of several operands including operand 2141 through operand 2149. Inthe network subsystem 1500 of FIG. 15, for example, table 2100 can bestored in recordable medium 1564 and accessed as needed by a processorexecuting instructions of element 1560. Alternatively, part or all ofthe logic of table 2100 can be implemented as software instructionsstored in recordable medium 1564 and executed by the processor ofsubsystem 1500 to perform operational flow 100.

Operand 2141 is (a fractional-degree portion of) a latitude coordinate.Operand 2142 is (a whole-degree portion of) a longitude coordinate.Operand 2143 is (a fractional-degree portion of) a longitude coordinatecomplementing operand 2141. Operand 2144 is an altitude expressed inmeters relative to ground or sea level, providing for altitude-dependentsuitability indicators of aircraft that are passenger vehicles. Operand2145 is a speed of a passenger vehicle, relative or absolute, expressedin meters per second. Operand 2144 and operand 2145 are marked withasterisks to indicate an exponential scale in which each binary numberis taken to be a power of 2. For the operand vector of row 2173, forexample, the indicated altitude is approximately 2 to the power of 0(=1) meter above ground and the indicated speed is approximately 2 tothe power of 6=64 meters per second.

Operand 2146 is a node heading in which (magnetic) North=0000 and theother compass points increase clockwise to 1111 (NNW). Operand 2146 isignored, however, for rows in which operand 2145=0000. (In effect,speeds of 1 meter per second or less are treated as being stationary, inthis model.)

Operand 2149 is an information format indicator, which can be encoded toindicate video, audio, proprietary, encoded, or any of the otherformat-indicative descriptors used in this document as a matter ofdesign choice in light of present teachings. Additional operands 2155can also be used in determining suitability value 2160.

Referring now to FIG. 22 in light of FIG. 21, FIG. 22 shows a map 2200plotting latitude 2241 against longitude 2243. A location of each ofnode 2261 through node 2273 is also plotted on map 2200, some or all ofwhich are suitable for relaying information. Node 2261 is shown at39.070 degrees North, 104.287 degrees West, for example, in thisdetailed illustration. Referring again to FIG. 21, row 2161 correspondsto operands that describe node 2261. Node 2261 is therefore essentiallystationary, as indicated by the 0000 in column 2145.

Row 2162 is identical to row 2161 except for the data format (at column2149) and the suitability value (at column 2160). Row 2161 has asuitability value of 11001, a binary number that indicates a highsuitability. Row 2162 indicates an even higher suitability, though,illustrating that the model implemented in table 2100 has aformat-dependent suitability indicator at column 2160.

Row 2163 of FIG. 21 corresponds to operands that describe node 2263 ofFIG. 22. Row 2163 and row 2164 illustrate that the model implemented intable 2100 has a speed-dependent suitability indicator (in column 2160),having operand values that are identical except for speed (in column2145). Therefore the suitability indicator of node 2263 would decrease(from 11111 to 10100, according to table 2100) if the speed of node 2263were about 8 meters per second rather than being at most about 1 meterper second.

Row 2165 of FIG. 21 corresponds to operands that describe node 2265 ofFIG. 22. Operand 2148 is a binary load indicator such that 000 indicatesno loading and 111 indicates saturation, in terms of a fractional usageof a critical resource such as a maximum data transfer rate and/or areduction of available space in a memory such as memory 1838 in theembodiment of FIG. 18 described above. Row 2165 and row 2166 illustratethat the model implemented in table 2100 has a load-dependentsuitability indicator, having operands that are identical except forload (in column 2148). Therefore the suitability indicator of node 2265would increase (from 01010 to 11010, according to table 2100) if theload indicator of node 2265 were 010 rather than being 101.

Row 2168 of FIG. 21 corresponds to operands that describe node 2268 ofFIG. 22. Row 2167 and row 2168 illustrate that the model implemented intable 2100 has a heading-dependent suitability indicator (in column2160), having operand values that are identical except for heading (incolumn 2146). Therefore the suitability indicator of node 2268 wouldincrease (from 10110 to 11111, according to table 2100) if the headingof node 2268 were eastward (dir=0100) rather than westward (dir=1100).

Rows 2169 & 2170 of FIG. 21 correspond respectively to operands thatdescribe nodes 2269 & 2270 of FIG. 22. Rows 2169 & 2170 illustrate thatthe model implemented in table 2100 has a position-index-dependentsuitability indicator (in column 2160), having operand values that areidentical except for latitude (in column 2141). Node 2269 and node 2270are both traveling north at about 32 m/s. The suitability indicator ofnode 2269 is higher than that of node 2270, according to table 2100,just because it is not as far north.

Row 2173 of FIG. 21 corresponds to operands that describe node 2273 ofFIG. 22. Operand 2147 is a node class indicator corresponding toattributes of a given node that affect its ability to provide service.Operand 2147 can indicate some combination of a nominal antenna range, anominal transmitter power, a nominal bandwidth, a nominal gain-bandwidthproduct, a nominal data rate, a wireless protocol, a service provider,or a service level, for example. In one implementation, operand2147=0011 uniquely indicates a combination of node attributes thatinclude a nominal operating frequency of 900 MHz and/or 1,800 MHz and anunlimited-duration service. Other values of operand 2147 shown indicateno such nominal operating frequency and/or limited-duration service, forexample, when table 2100 is used in the above-described flows such asflow 900 of FIGS. 9 & 10.

Row 2172 and row 2173 illustrate that the model implemented in table2100 has a load-dependent suitability indicator, having operand valuesthat are identical except for node class (in column 2147). Therefore thesuitability indicator of node 2273 would decrease (from 01001 to 00110,according to table 2100) if the class of node 2273 were 0110 rather thanbeing 0100.

Additional rows 2175 are too numerous to be shown effectively on paper.Table 2100 is large, in fact, and in some contexts it would beconvenient to use a simpler model. One way to do this would be toimplement a table in a stationary router for a given area of land, andto use a local model that assumes a local value of one or more positionindices (by omitting column 2142 and/or column 2145, for example). Partof the model could be executed before looking up the suitability value,alternatively or additionally, such as by using the heading and speed topredict a location at a future point in time. By using a suitabilityindicator that has been computed in stages, for example, the heading orspeed operands could be removed from the look-up operation.

Referring again to the map 2200 of FIG. 22, an example operational flowis described with reference to node 2260, which is in a channel thatneeds to be defined. To find a next-downstream-node, node 2260 executesoperation 635 and operation 636 of FIG. 6. Node 2260 polls several nodeswithin its transmission zone 2280, including nodes 2261-2273. At leastone of the polled nodes is a passenger vehicle from which node 2260receives a response per operation 636. In lieu of a look-up operation,though, node 2260 can perform the determining operation 130 by applyingone or more criteria to a received value of load. For example, a loadvalue above a predetermined threshold of 100 can be applied as athreshold above which a given node is deemed too busy for effective,reliable transmission. (Among the nodes 2261-2273 in the example of FIG.22, only node 2265 will be deemed too busy by this criterion, as shownin column 2148 of FIG. 21.) This example operational flow illustrateshow a coarse burden indicator like node load can be used.

Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state of the arthas progressed to the point where there is little distinction leftbetween hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems; theuse of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that incertain contexts the choice between hardware and software can becomesignificant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs.Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are varioustools by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologiesdescribed herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/orfirmware), and that the preferred tool set used will vary with thecontext in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologiesare deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed andaccuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardwareand/or firmware implementation; alternatively, if flexibility isparamount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation;or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for somecombination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Hence, there areseveral possible tools by which the processes and/or devices and/orother technologies described herein may be effected, none of which isinherently superior to the other in that any tool to be utilized is achoice dependent upon the context in which the tool will be deployed andthe specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) ofthe implementer, any of which may vary. For example, those skilled inthe art will recognize that optical communication links will typicallyemploy optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts,and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/orexamples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will beunderstood by those within the art that each function and/or operationwithin such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment,several portions of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), orother integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, inwhole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integratedcircuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or morecomputers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computersystems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors),as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designingthe circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmwarewould be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light ofthis disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capableof being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, andthat an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described hereinapplies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearingmedium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable typemedium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), aDigital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and atransmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analogcommunication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wiredcommunications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).

While particular aspects of the present subject matter described hereinhave been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modificationsmay be made without departing from this subject matter described hereinand its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are toencompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as arewithin the true spirit and scope of this subject matter describedherein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solelydefined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those withinthe art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in theappended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generallyintended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should beinterpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” shouldbe interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should beinterpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will befurther understood by those within the art that if a specific number ofan introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will beexplicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitationno such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, thefollowing appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases“at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations.However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply thatthe introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or“an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claimrecitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even whenthe same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “atleast one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or“an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one ormore”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used tointroduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number ofan introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled inthe art will recognize that such recitation should typically beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typicallymeans at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C”would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone,C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general sucha construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be furtherunderstood by those within the art that any disjunctive word and/orphrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood toinclude the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

The herein described aspects depict different components containedwithin, or connected with, different other components. It is to beunderstood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, andthat in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achievethe same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement ofcomponents to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated”such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any twocomponents herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can beseen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionalityis achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components.Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being“operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achievethe desired functionality. Any two components capable of being soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable” to eachother to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples ofoperably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateableand/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactableand/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interactableand/or logically interacting components.

While certain features of the described implementations have beenillustrated as disclosed herein, many modifications, substitutions,changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. Itis, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended tocover all such modifications and changes as falling within the truespirit of the embodiments of the invention.

1. A network subsystem comprising: routing circuitry operable to routedata beyond a passenger vehicle at least partly based on avehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a signal channel that includes the passengervehicle.
 2. The network subsystem of claim 1, further comprising: adevice-readable medium bearing at least one of at least one instructionfor predicting a motion of the passenger vehicle, and at least oneinstruction for generating the vehicle-position-index-dependent andvehicle-heading-dependent suitability indicator.
 3. The networksubsystem of claim 1 wherein the routing circuitry includes at least:means for gathering information about one or more data channelsavailable for routing that include the passenger vehicle.
 4. A networksubsystem comprising: a passenger vehicle that relays data responsive toa vehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of a channel that includes the passenger vehicle.5. The network subsystem of claim 4, further comprising: routingcircuitry for providing to the passenger vehicle routing informationthat is at least partly based on the suitability indicator.
 6. Thenetwork subsystem of claim 4, further comprising: a signal-bearingmedium bearing at least one instruction for obtaining the suitabilityindicator as a function of a content of the data.
 7. The networksubsystem of claim 4, further comprising: circuitry for obtaining thesuitability indicator as a function of an estimated time interval.
 8. Anetwork subsystem comprising: a device-readable medium that guides dataalong a channel toward a mobile system determined at least partly basedon a vehicle-position-index-dependent and vehicle-heading-dependentsuitability indicator of the channel; and a module that controls thedevice-readable medium.
 9. The network subsystem of claim 8 wherein thedevice-readable medium includes at least: a conduit carrying a signalcontaining a portion of the data.
 10. The network subsystem of claim 8wherein the module includes: a transceiver configured to relay at leasta portion of the data beyond the mobile system.
 11. The networksubsystem of claim 8 wherein the module includes: a transceiverconfigured to provide the data to the device-readable medium via awireless link.
 12. A network subsystem comprising: a mobile system; andmeans for transmitting data through the mobile system at least partlybased on a heading-dependent suitability indicator of a channel thatincludes the mobile system.
 13. The network subsystem of claim 12wherein the means for transmitting data is aboard the mobile system. 14.The network subsystem of claim 12 wherein the means for transmittingdata is within the mobile system.
 15. The network subsystem of claim 12wherein the mobile system includes: one or more antennas for detecting aposition of the mobile system.
 16. The network subsystem of claim 12wherein the mobile system includes: means for providing electricity tothe means for transmitting.
 17. The network subsystem of claim 12wherein the mobile system includes: means for generating poweraccessible to the means for transmitting.
 18. The network subsystem ofclaim 12 wherein the mobile system includes: one or more antennas remotefrom the mobile system.
 19. The network subsystem of claim 12 whereinthe means for transmitting includes: means for generating thesuitability indicator as a function of a position index of the mobilesystem.
 20. The network subsystem of claim 12 wherein the means fortransmitting includes: means for communicating with a user aboard themobile system.
 21. The network subsystem of claim 12 wherein the meansfor transmitting includes: means for obtaining the suitabilityindicator.
 22. The network subsystem of claim 12, further comprising:means for detecting a position of the mobile system.
 23. The networksubsystem of claim 12, further comprising: means for obtaining aproperty of at least some of the data.